BOLZANO – The Q36.5 headquarters in the South Tyrolean city is surrounded by slopes and trees, between which heavy gray clouds filled with rain loom. The room where the journalists are gathered is the largest in the store and is full of different clothing items and collections.. From the kit used by the professional team (Photo opening: Moises Aguilera), to winter jackets, and trousers of various shapes and uses. For years, the Bolzano-based brand has aimed to create products that offer cyclists the best possible performance. The name Q36.5 it has a double “composition”. The first is the “Q” of the Latin word to seek” that is, to search. The second part, that is 36.5, represents the objective of the technicians' research in creating these garments.In fact, it has been studied that the ideal body temperature for the human body, thanks to which it is possible to achieve the best athletic performance, is 36,5 degrees Celsius.
Research and development of Q36.5 they have always gone in this direction. From the summer T-shirt to the heavier jacket for the winterThe goal is to guarantee the end user the right climate and temperature to perform at their best once they get in the saddle.
The world of research and development
Behind a sliding glass door there is access to stairs that lead to the offices of Q36.5. Here we work in search of quality, of the taste and technique that distinguish this brand. A world we decided to explore together with Manuel Cazzaro, Product Manager, Production Manager & R&D Assistant at Q36.5.
«Obviously for us it is a hobby – he says – each product has a technicality and We try to keep the temperature as stable as possible during sporting activityOur goal is to offer a broad collection, but with specific options to cover different temperature ranges. Garments should be as versatile as possible, so as to adapt to different conditions, without exaggerating. For example, for the winter season we have two thermal jackets capable of covering any temperature. The core is adaptability to different conditions."
So your research starts with fabrics?
Exactly, this is what we have focused a lot of our research and development on. Q36.5 has more than thirty years of experience and we collaborate with various companies for the development of proprietary fabrics for our exclusive use. Research and development are our obsession, and already in 2015-2016 we began a comprehensive analysis of the dressing chain. The combination of different garments to create an outfit using and combining different parameters.
How important is support from external institutions for you?
For years we have collaborated with Eurac, a private research center here in the province of Bolzano. They have designed a thermoclimatic chamber called Terra X-Cube where various tests can be performed. Parameters are established: altitude, pressure, temperature, etc. We can also replicate wind speed. In this way, we establish a series of parameters for the cyclist's actions: warm-up, ascent, descent, thrust. All this is achieved thanks to temperature and humidity sensors which, at the end of the test, they provide us with the performance of each individual item.
So as to have products that reflect the famous 36,5 degrees Celsius standard?
Exactly. Since 2020, our collaboration has also expanded to include Core, which, with its sensors developed at the University of Vergata, has greatly assisted our growth and development. We use a sensor modified from the one commonly sold, specifically designed for research. The algorithm developed by Core allows to calculate the internal temperature of the body. As Q36.5 we are interested in theheat flux That is, the heat flow that escapes from the athlete's body. This is an interesting statistic, because the more breathable a garment is, the higher this number will be.
Are there any other relevant parameters?
We use several. Thanks to Core, we can quickly compare: temperature, drying times and many other data which become part of the final analysis.
For example?
Q36.5 focuses a lot on the cooling convective, or how much a garment allows a cooling effect on the body through the fabricThere's an initial sweat loading phase, then the product gets wet and absorbs liquids. The important thing is the drying times, which must be very fast. This is a fundamental piece of information for research. in order to have a garment capable of absorbing heat and dissipating it quickly, without excessively cooling the athlete's body.
Has the collaboration with Core allowed you to create new fabrics?
Our monthly reviews allow us to continuously develop, thanks to the comparison between old and new analyses. This way we don't always have to go to the thermo-climatic room. In addition to the development of new tissues The collaboration with Core showed us how the human body is perfectly symmetricalThere are several studies that demonstrate how the body's heat and sweat production is perfectly equal between the left and right sides.
What doors did this discovery open for you?
Creating sweaters with two different fabrics, perfectly symmetrical, we can analyze the weight of the garment before and after use And above all, with a series of Core sensors, we can immediately highlight the differences between one fabric and another. This allows us to modify some fabrics and discard others. This is a new, "lighter" form of development.
What are the most difficult products to make?
They are all very complex, because a summer boss can be extremely light and is used by professionals. But this cannot be suitable for amateurs because they do not produce the same watts and the same effort. On the other hand, winter clothing is highly sought after and for example We have been moving away from traditional trilaminate soft shells or other fabrics like Gore-Tex for many years now..
What kind of fabrics do you use?
The solutions we have been developing in the last few years involve a combination of various stand-alone fabrics. An example of this can be found in our Gregarius jacket, in which the inward direction of the membrane allows us to avoid a layer of glue, and to have an extremely light fabric. Another new feature is the Air Insulation fabric, made of 100 percent polyester. This naturally hydrophobic material absorbs less sweat.Its very high structure, with this open mesh, creates a layer of air between the skin, the body and the outer layer of the garment. A cushion is created that can thermally isolate the cyclist, because in the end the air is the best heat retainer that it exists.
Q36.5 How far are you from actually achieving this temperature range in your product research and development?
It depends. The great thing is that research never stops. Even the items that are currently in the collection are renewed to try to give the customer the best possible product.
